1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multifunctional input device for centralized control of one or more external electrical apparatuses and a plurality of regulable functions incidental thereto, and more particularly to a signal transmission system between the multifunctional input device and a host computer or some other part for controlling the electrical apparatuses and a drive system for an actuator which provides a required feel to the manipulation of an operating unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
According to the prior art, there are already proposed techniques for centralized control of various electrical apparatuses including, for instance, an air conditioner, AM/FM tuner, CD/MD player, audio amplifier and navigation system by using one or a few multifunctional input devices.
FIG. 7 illustrates an example of known multifunctional input device of this kind. As is evident from this drawing, this example of multifunctional input device comprises an operating unit 101, a detector 102 for detecting the operating state of the operating unit 101, an actuator 103 for providing an external force to the operating unit 101, and a controller 106 for exchanging signals with a host computer 105 centrally controlling a plurality of electrical apparatuses 104a through 104n and controlling the driving of the actuator 103 in accordance with instructions from the host computer 105. The host computer 105 is supplemented with a display unit 107 and a memory 108, and in the memory 108 are stored a drive signal c for the actuator 103 matching a detection signal a transmitted from the controller 106 and a display signal b for the display unit 107 and manipulation signals d1 through dn for the electrical apparatuses 104a through 104n matching the detection signal a and the display signal b.
When the operating unit 101 is manipulated, the controller 106 transmits the detection signal a supplied from the detector 102 to the host computer 105. The host computer 105, according to the detection signal a transmitted from the detector 102 and the display signal b for the display unit 107 stored in the memory 108, reads the matching drive signal c for the actuator 103 from the memory 108, and transmits it to the controller 106. The controller 106 drives the actuator 103 in accordance with the drive signal c transmitted from the host computer 105. The host computer 105, according to the detection signal a transmitted from the detector 102 and the display signal b for the display unit 107, reads out the matching one of the manipulation signals d1 through dn of the electrical apparatuses 104a through 104n stored in the memory 108, and transmits it the required one of the electrical apparatuses 104a through 104n. The required electrical apparatus undergoes regulation of the function indicated by the detection signal a on the basis of the one transmitted from the host computer 105 out of the manipulation signals dl through dn.
Since this example of multifunctional input device can centrally control the plurality of the electrical apparatuses 104a through 104n by manipulating a single multifunctional input device, the desired functional regulation of the desired one of the electrical apparatuses 104a through 104n can be more easily accomplished than when the electrical apparatuses 104a through 104n are individually manipulated. Furthermore, as this example of multifunctional input device drives the actuator 103 by transmitting a drive signal c matching the detection signal a and the display signal b from the host computer 105 to the controller 106, a feel matching the function to be regulated of the electrical apparatuses 104a through 104n can be provided to the operating unit 101, and each of different electrical apparatuses can be functionally regulated easily and with a good feel.
However, this example of multifunctional input device according to the prior art, as it transmits, from the controller 106 to the host computer 105, the detection signal A supplied from the detector 102 and, from the host computer 105 to the controller 106, the drive signal c for the actuator 103, there is a disadvantage that the multifunctional input device by itself cannot regulate the functions of the electrical apparatuses 104a through 104n in a self-conclusive way and, because a large volume of signals are transmitted and received between the controller 106 and the host computer 105, there further is a cumbersome problem of a heavy load on the host computer 105, making it difficult to regulate the functions of the plurality of the electrical apparatuses 104a through 104n with high efficiency. These disadvantages become even more conspicuous as the number of the electrical apparatuses 104a through 104n and that of their functions to be regulated using the multifunctional input device increase.